


you set off a dream in me

by praguecastles



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Flirting, Fluff, Height Differences, How Do I Tag, Kissing, M/M, One Shot Collection, Pre-Relationship, i have an intense desire for strattum content ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26104105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/praguecastles/pseuds/praguecastles
Summary: "I see it in your eyesYou believe that lieThat you need to hide your faceAfraid to step outsideSo you lock the doorBut don't you stay that way!"A collection of various Charles/Phineas one-shots.
Relationships: P. T. Barnum/Charles "Tom Thumb" Stratton
Kudos: 2





	1. flopdoodle

_“What are you lookin’ at, flopdoodle?”_

Those words, as impertinent and flippant as they may have been, had been ringing through Phineas’ mind all day.

He was in bed now, finding himself unable to sleep, listening to the din of the city outside and the sound of water dripping from a hole in the ceiling. Not an unusual occurrence for him, but a pain nonetheless.

As much as he tried, he couldn’t take his mind off of the man’s face. That black hair, those brown eyes, the scowl that, although directed at Phineas himself, seemed to reflect the young man’s outlook toward the world as a whole.

“God…” Phineas couldn’t place what was going on with him today, what he was feeling, what that man and that face and those words had to do with it. He rubbed his tired eyes.

He thought about his voice. Deep, rich, somewhat mumbling and toneless. The laugh that came some time before, although just as deep, seemed slightly sinister. Both were unlike anything else Phineas had ever heard.

He couldn’t forget his name.

_Charles. Charles. Charles._

“God,” Phineas hissed at himself again. He sighed and rolled onto his side, making a mental note to find out more about the mysterious stranger in the morning. How exactly, he didn’t know. But he would. He needed to.


	2. queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired by a discussion years ago with @boneclaws

“Charles.” A cough, followed by Phineas’ hushed voice, caught his attention over the crowded room. He turned around quickly, noticing the taller man crouched down on one knee in front of him. He was jerking his head towards a banner on the other side of the room. “Come on,” Phineas whispered again.

Charles gave him a knowing smirk and then watched him walk away, soon disappearing behind the banner. He looked around before making another move, just to be sure nobody was watching. Although he had long since stopped caring about what other people thought of them, he knew Phineas hadn’t. Fortunately, not one of them seemed to be paying attention. The general exhaled deeply and then started walking away, exchanging a glance with Lettie as he passed her, before he too was hidden behind the banner.

“God, finally,” Phineas breathed, dropping to his knees once again so they could be more or less at eye level. His hands found their way to Charles’ shoulders and he pressed their lips together. Charles brought his hands up and placed them on his partner’s cheeks. Phineas' lips were warm and moist, and gave the impression that he had been wanting this for a while.

“Hey, that thing back there, with the Queen? I owe you for that. Seriously.” Phineas spoke in a low voice.

“Well, what can I say? That’s just the way I am. I can't help the effect I have on people. I mean, it worked on you.”

Phineas made a face and opened his mouth for a second, as if to say something, before closing it again. Charles noticed this and raised an eyebrow. “It’s fine, honey, you don’t have to say it. It's okay to be a little jealous.”

He snickered as Phineas made a noise in protest. Charles grabbed his partner’s hand to press a kiss to his fingers. A redness spread across the taller man’s face and ears.

“You know _you’re_ my queen, right, sweetheart?”


	3. realisation

The night after their first performance, Charles lay in his bed, unable to sleep. His body was achy and tired, eyes heavy and unfocused, yet drifting off felt like an impossibility. He tossed and turned, the old bed frame creaking with every movement of his small body.

“Okay, brain, that’ll be enough out of you. Come on, just let me sleep already,” he sighed, staring up at the ceiling in an effort to clear his mind, an attempt that soon proved fruitless as a familiar voice filled his thoughts again.

“ _I see it in your eyes,_ ” it was none other than the voice of his boss, Phineas Taylor Barnum, “ _you believe that lie that you need to hide your face._ ”

“Oh God, oh no. Am I? Wait...” Charles whispered to himself, trying to make some sense of these thoughts and the unfamiliar feeling in his chest.

“ _Afraid to step outside, so you lock the door, but don't you stay that way._ ”

He rolled over, prompting a particularly loud squeak from the bed, and rubbed his eyes. His heart raced.

“Yeah. I’m in love with that guy,” he exhaled frustratedly, “seriously? _That_ guy?”


	4. the barnum museum

“Welcome to the Barnum Museum, where everyone is special… and nobody is like anyone else,” Phineas rhapsodised, holding his arms out and gesturing around the room with open palms.

The much shorter man took note of the airy, immense space, looking around at the high ceiling and dirty floor, before the pillars and platforms of the second floor caught his attention. This room was surprisingly well-lit compared to the rest of the museum, not to mention larger. It’s only feature was a small smattering of old furniture placed sporadically throughout, no doubt left there by the previous owner.

“There’s nothing here,” Charles kicked at a pile of dust on the floor, sending it floating into the air around them.

“No, not yet. But blink and you’ll be standing beside the famous Irish Giant,” a large grin formed on Phineas’ lips and he clapped his hands together.

“I’m not Irish,” came a deep voice with a thick Russian accent, as both men were suddenly engulfed in the shadow of a much taller figure.

“Yeah, yeah,” and with that, Phineas was off to inspect another part of the building, running off and murmuring excitedly to himself.


	5. mesmerised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspired by a discussion years ago with @boneclaws

Leaning on a beam, shrouded in darkness, Phineas stood with a hand over his mouth, corners of his eyes crinkled, as he watched his partner ride around the ring on his steed. The sound of hoofbeats blended with the shouting and laughter of the crowd, high-pitched squeals from the children among them rising above it all.

Phineas’ eyes stayed fixed on Charles and Phantom, and he chuckled at the sheer confidence on display, a far cry from the boy he met all those months ago, hiding away in the bedroom of his mother’s house.

The lights above them reflected off the horse’s shiny, pure white coat as he galloped around, causing Phineas to squint.

As his partner passed him on his horse, Phineas looked up at him and the two locked eyes for a second, Charles sparing him a glance and a smirk. In that moment he felt his cheeks heat up, and he couldn’t suppress the wide grin that formed on his face. He could only hope the shadows would conceal it well enough.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know how this site works but my heart beats for strattum.


End file.
